SBYL under 12 first division Report by ROBERT MORROW
Sat 23rd February 2013 – Hydebank 9.00 ko - Opposition – Ardoyne
Holywood took to the field determined to make amends for the second half collapse last time they faced Ardoyne in that 5-4 loss. No early goal this time from Ardoyne, just wave after wave of attacks from Holywood. However the opposition defence and keeper were standing firm. The deadlock though was broken on 22 mins when Jamie scrambled the ball over the line after good work on the left by Tom Wilson. Ardoyne tried their luck particularly down our left hand side on numerous occasions but Josh Burford – who was given great cover from Cameron – dealt with the danger very well. Josh in goals didn’t really have that much to deal with and credit must go to the above mentioned defenders and also Paddy and Geo for defending so well and keeping their shape. Midfield were winning their battles which was pleasing to see, especially under the intense physical nature of the opposition’s approach to the game. Niall and Dozie were bossing the centre. Adam was giving us good penetration on the right, having come on for Tom Mc (who came off with an injury early on). Thomas also was withdrawn after about 20 mins as he was getting no change from the tough-tackling ardoyne defence. Jamie was having a great game; causing havoc with his direct fast running at the opposition defence and Euan was working effectively by linking midfield with attack. The 2nd goal deservedly arrived on 28 mins after the ball came to Cameron after a corner on the left. He worked his magic by weaving in and out of two defenders and crossed for Adam to side foot home with his left foot 3 yards out.
Half-time : Holywood 2 , Ardoyne 0.
A change was made at the start of the 2nd half with Ben replacing Euan up front. He immediately made an impact on the game when he finished into the roof of the net two yards out after a knock on from a corner. Ardoyne hit back soon after to make it 3-1 but any thoughts they had of making a similar comeback like before were dashed when Jamie scored his 2nd to give us a 4-1 lead. The game seemed to get a bit ‘scrappy’ after that with quite a few nasty tackles from the opposition going unpunished by the referee. However the boys rose above it and held their nerve. A few subs were made to freshen things up. Tom came back on for Adam, Thomas came on for Dozie and Euan replaced Jamie for the last few minutes. This didn’t disrupt our play at all. Our dominance in fact was rewarded when Niall scored our 5th when he rode a couple of typically reckless challenges around the 6 yard line to slot in with his ‘right foot’ – a collectors item indeed!! The game finished 5-1 and the scoreline certainly didn’t flatter us. Well done to the whole squad for their wonderful gutsy performance and claiming a great victory and an important three points.
Goal scorers – Jamie(20&45),Adam(28), Ben(35), Niall(59).
MOTM - Jamie
Squad – Paddy Crookshanks, Josh Burford, Tom Mc Illhatton, George Moore, Adam Collins, Cameron Alexander, Josh Johnston, Ben Murray, Dozie Ajeh, Niall Grimley, Thomas Wilson, Jamie Owens, Euan Morrow, Tom Wilson.
